Sultry, Gritty, Decadent - KHAITE RESORT 2022

KHAITE Resort 2022 is fluid, rich in contrasts, and resolutely wearable. Claire Holstein calls it “a collection that lives in layers and textures. Even amidst the decisive lines lives a sense of unraveling, a romance that invites you to make each piece your own.”

The return of a more ‘authentic’ New York during the pandemic, reminiscent of the 70s and 80s, strongly influenced the brand’s creative direction. The city with its grungier, slightly more dangerous but artistically buzzing energy, inspired a sharper aesthetic in the cuts and prints of Khaite.

But whereas the AW/21 collection presented a darker version of the city, Resort 2022 features a minimalist apartment setting with a cosier and more comfortable element.

Holstein references specific cinematographic, musical, and literary examples in order to encapsulate the collection. The 1997 video for Rolling Stone’s ‘Anybody Seen My Baby’ features a frenetic but glamorous Angelina Jolie running around New York in a corset and long black jacket. The movie In The Cut is also an inspiration, in its exploration of fear and desire. Similarly, the book My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh explores the notion of isolation and detachment from physical reality, in order to be re-born. Toying between isolation and liberation, Resort 2022 approaches “stillness and relaxation with rigor, making a project of it.”

The clothes of the collection are a perfect expression of this state of mind. While remaining familiar and continually wearable, the contrast of materials inject an energy and playfulness. Rubber platform boots are worn with ruched jersey, a shearling coat with black nylon pants, a bomber jacket with a white draped dress. Khaite’s signature fabrics are also contrasted and reimagined, showcasing her versatility through classic twill and cashmere being paired with leather and micro faille.

For Holstein, the collection references ‘the long, lean lines and the menacing quality that defined New York at the turn of the millennium while imagining a post-pandemic lightness — a new sense of liberation, independence, and even decadence’. Just as the city consistently reinvents and adapts itself, so the Khaite woman does through the subtleties of her wardrobe.

Pooja Lucie Willmann

18/06/2021